Safety-envelop.



C. C. FREEBORN, SR-

SAFETY ENVELOP.

APPLICATION mzp mums. 1918.

1,285,974. Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

INVENTOR //%,f M we. M

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATEN FFICE.

CORNELIUS C. FREEBORN. SR, OF NEW MILFORD, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY-ENVELOP.

Application filed March 25. 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS C. FREE- noRN, Sr., a citizen of theUnited States, residing at New Milford, in the county of Bergen andState of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Safety-Envelops, of which the following is a specification.

The primary purpose of the present invention is to insure a measure ofprotection in the transmission of letters, packages and the like throughthe mails and other channels, and to make detection almost certain inthe event of such matter being tampered with during transmission.

The invention relates to the sealing flap of envelops, wrappers, andanalogous inclosing devices used in the transmission of letters,newspapers, periodicals, and the like, the improvement relating tosafety elements whereby detection is almost certain should any attemptbe made to open the envelop or other package.

Inasmuch as the invention in its general application will be appliedchiefly to the sealing flap of envelops, it is shown in this connectionin the accompanying drawing.

The invention consists essentially of one or more tongues or likeelements partly cut from the sealing flap of an envelop, wrapper, or thelike, such tongue or tongues being secured to the body of the envelop bythe usual adhesive commonly employed for securing the sealing flap.

The invention furthermore consists of one or more tongues or likesealing elements having the edges serrated, thereby adding to thedifficulty of opening or breaking the seal in the event of an attemptbeing made to open the envelop or package.

The drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention,however, it is to be understood that in adapting the same to meetdifferent conditions, various changes in the form, proportion, and minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thenature of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a rear view of an envelop embodying theinvention.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are sectional details of the respective lines 2-2, 33,and 4.-4 of Fig. 1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Serial No. 224,592.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by likereference characters.

The numeral 1 designates the sealing flap, the same forming an integralpart of the envelop, wrapper, or like device for inclosing the articleto be transmitted Whether the same consists of a letter sheet,newspaper, or other article commonly transmitted through the mails. Inthe drawing, the sealing flap 1 constitutes a part of an envelop 2. Thesealing edge of the flap 1 is gummed or supplied with an adhesive in themanner well understood so that upon moistening the gummed edge andpressing the Flap against the body of the envelop or like part, thescaling of the package is completed.

In accordance with the invention, a portion is partly cut from thesealing flap to form a tongue (1, the same constituting the safetyelement and this tongue may have any outline and is adapted to besecured to the body of the envelop or like package. It is preferred tohave the edges of the tongue or safety element a serrated or toothed, asindicated at 1) whereby the difliculty of breaking the seal is increasedand the chances for detection proportionately increased. The tongue a ispreferably cut from the part of the sealing flap which is provided withthe gum or other sealing adhesive.

Fig. 1 shows the sealing flap provided with a plurality of tongues orsafety elements. The middle tongue a is in the plane of the sealing flapwhen the latter is sealed. The tongues or safety elements a at the sidesof the middle tongue a. are folded upon themselves so as to underlap anedge portion of the flap and are secured to the body of the envelop bymeans of an adhesive in a manner well understood. The folding of thetongues or safety elements a results in the formation of openings 0. Asindicated most clearly in Fig. 1, the middle tongue (1 is secured to theclosing flap 5 at the lower longitudinal. edge of the envelop, and thetongues a at the sides of the middle tongue are secured to the end flaps6. It will thus be seen that a tongue or safety element is provided foreach of the inclosing flaps of the envelop, thereby adding to thedifficulty of gainmg entrance to the envelop by means of any one of theclosing flaps Without escaping detection. The tongues or safety elements0; may overlap or underlap the edge portion of the flap or one may bearranged to underlapand the other to overlap the edge portion of theflap as indicated most clearly in Fig. 1.

The foregoing description and the drawing have reference to What may beconsidered the preferred, or approved, form of my invention. It is to beunderstood that I may make such changes in construction and arrangementand combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may proveexpedient and fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent isAn envelop Wrapper or the like, having a sealing flap and having amiddle and side safety sealing tongues partly'cut from the edge portionof the flap, the side tongues being folded and projecting beyond theedge of the flap leaving spaces Within the margin of the flap, and theseveral tongues being gummed to the envelop or Wrapper together with theflap.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CORNELIUS G. FREEBORN, SR.

Witnesses:

GRACE A. GRIoos, CORNELIUS C. FREEBoRN, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

